Brighton Fringe 2007
The Treason Show
Mark Brailsford, Carol Kentish, Alastair Kerr, Manny Lipman
Venue: Komedia
Festival: Brighton Fringe
Low Down
Brighton’s cult satirical show presents another month of biting comedy, terrific songs and takes some well-aimed shots at the Brighton Festival in the process
Review
The Treason Show is an Institution at the Komedia and has spread the good work beyond Brighton’s borders as well. A mix of topical satire and broader comedy, this particular Treason was packed with laugh aloud music and sketches.
Highlights included: A song about the Brighton Festival to the tune of the Muppet Show. Alastair’s uncannily real Jim’ll Fix it Strikes Again (and, of course, his now cult, alcohol-friendly Archbishop), as well as the usual appearance of Mark Brailsford in his birthday suit.
Newcomer Manny Lipman is a real find with a fantastic singing voice and is a terrific Paris “Pointless” Hilton.
I also really enjoyed the sight of two pigeons ruminating over the Brighton Eye and it was nice to see the Treason cast taking a decent pot shot at the Royals
The only gripe I have is that the show dips when the performers are running ahead of the material in terms of quality. The quality of the performances is always top-notch in the Treason Show, but sometimes sketches end with too-groany punchlines.
However, there are always enough gems in the material for an enjoyable, laughaloud night out, always delivered brilliantly by the impressive and versatile Treason Show troupe.
Audience comments after the show:
“Really loved the finale – fantastic”
“Some of it I liked, some of it I didn’t”
“One of the best Treason Shows I have seen”